White House Attacks Corporate Political Donors

James Politi, Financial Times

Monday, 18 Oct 2010 | 5:02 AM ETFinancial Times

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Senior White House officials have cranked up their attacks on corporate spending in the midterm congressional elections, after fresh data showed Republicans gaining traction in the race to secure campaign funds.

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In separate interviews on Sunday, David Axelrod, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, and Robert Gibbs, press secretary, decried the influx of direct political contributions from business, which were made possible by a landmark Supreme Court ruling this year, as a potential threat to US democracy.

“Obviously this gives a huge advantage to Republicans, but this isn’t just a threat to the Democratic party....If someone can walk into a congressional office and say, ‘If you don’t vote my way, the insurance industry or Wall Street...If you don’t vote our way, we’re going to give Karl Rove [the conservative George W.Bush adviser] $10m and we’re going to blow you away in the next election’, what kind of impact is that going to have on our country?” said Mr Axelrod on CNN’s State of the Union.

Mr Gibbs, on NBC’s Meet the Press, urged the US Chamber of Commerce, a target of administration attacks on campaign finance, to “open up the books” and “show the American people” where the money was from.

Their comments followed data from the Federal Election Commission showing that in the third quarter, Republicans raised more money than their Democratic opponents in a number of key races, particularly in the Senate.

Sharron Angle, the Tea Party-backed candidate trying to unseat Harry Reid as Senate majority leader in Nevada, raised $14.3m in the third quarter, compared with the $2.8m for Mr Reid.